Drover's Run
by ilovenascar
Summary: A week at Drover's Run. CA, TN. Takes place about five months after Claire's wreck.
1. Day 1: Leaving

Title: Drover's Run

Name: April

Spoilers: Peter episodes of Season Two, most of Season Three (Which I haven't seen yet, so bear with me, please.)

Alex Ryan lay on his side, a hand on his girlfriend's stomach, feeling both her breathing and the baby moving. He'd already dressed, as quiet as possible, and came back to lay down and watch her sleep. Most of the damage from the wreck five months before had healed, but he was still aware of how lucky he was that his family was healthy, happy, safe, and most of all alive.

Claire McLeod opened the blue eyes that he loved and he couldn't help but smile. "Hey."

"Hey," she said smiling as well, turning to face him. Most of the time they'd been together had consisted of her being in the hospital so it was a strange yet comforting feeling waking up beside him.

The baby kicked him and he grinned. "Fiesty little mate."

"He'd have to be," she said proudly. The doctors at the hospital swore it was a miracle she'd survived the wreck and had no explanation for how the baby had made it. She saw a look in his eyes and moved her hand to cup his face, her thumb stroking his cheek. "What?"

"Scared to leave." Especially since Tess and the hands at Kilarney were the only ones around for miles.

"We've talked about this. I'm not able to ride yet and, evenif I was,Charlotte's too young. I need you to go for me. Okay?" She kissed his temple. He nodded, but she could tell he still didn't like it. "How often do you and Nick do anything with Harry anymore?"

"Yeah, time with Dad, good selling point," he said sarcastically.

"You two gonna be okay for a week?" The relationship between the two had never been great but had gotten worse since Liz's secret and the divorce.

He ignored her question, not knowing the answer. "You coming to see me off?"

She kissed him. "Sure. Let me check on Charlotte first."

"I'll do it. You get dressed." He kissed her again before getting up to check on their daughter.

* * *

Nick Ryan was finishing the chores for the day, making sure everything would be okay for the week. Tess McLeod woke up alone and her heart raced, dressing quickly and going outside. Nick turned as he heard the door close and saw the expression on her face. "Hey." He walked over to hold her. "I was coming back in, I promise. I wanted to finish chores. I wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye." He hugged her.

"I know."

He moved blonde hair out of her face. "You okay?"

"I wish I was going with you."

"I wish you were too. I'm going to miss you." He kissed the top of her head. "But Claire needs you. You wouldn't feel right out there worrying about her."

She nodded. "I know. But we just got here, you know?" He nodded, knowing she didn't mean 'here' as in Wilgul, but 'here' as in together, finally.

"Yeah, but Tess, I'll be back. I promise. I would never leave you. I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered.

"What if, when I get back, we take a few days off and went to the city? You could see your friends, we could explore..." He offered.

"I just want to be with you." He smiled. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you." He kissed her temple. "You ready to go?" She nodded, helping him get ready to go over to Drover's.

* * *

Alex carried Charlotte out, his arm around Claire's waist, Roy joining them. "Hey, boy." He rubbed behind the dog's ears. "You need to stay here this time. Keep an eye on the place." As Claire greeted Tess and Nick, Alex whispered to Roy, "Take care of them for me." It seemed ridiculous, but the dog seemed to have a sixth sense for danger. It would never allow Claire to be hurt and had adopted Charlotte ashis territory as well.

The rest of the group arrived and got ready to leave. Meg came over to the girls. "You'll be okay?"

Claire smiled. Her mother had died when she was almost too young to remember her, Ruth had only been there for five years, so Meg was the only real mother she'd ever had. "We'll handle it." Tess assured her.

Meg heard Jodi groan about having to go on the trip, but tried to ignore it. "I cooked extra, put it in the refrigerator, enough for supper for a week."

"Thanks, Meg," Claire said.

"Don't mention it." She went over to her horse, joining her family.

Harry watched from his ute as his sons said goodbye to their girlfriends. Nick hugged Tess, kissing her temple. "I love you," he whispered, rubbing her back in small circles.

"Be careful. Don't get too sore and don't get into any leeches," she teased, remembering the first, last, and only drove she'd ever been on.

He laughed. "I won't."

Alex kissed Charlotte's small forehead and then Claire's lips. "I love you. I'll miss you both," Alex told her, hugging her.

"I love you too." She hugged him. "You should go. We'll be okay." He nodded, not liking being out of touch with her. "Trust me."

"I do." There weren't many people he could say that about.

Tess, Claire, Charlotte, and Roy watched the mob leave and Tess turned to look at Claire. "Are you okay? I mean, not just with Alex leaving, but you usually go and you can't..." Tess's words spilled into each other.

"Tess." She paused. "I'm fine."

Tess nodded. "Right. Anything I can help you with?"

"I can't lift the feed for the horses. Can you put them in the wheelburrow?"

"I can feed them. Really. I'm here to help."

Claire looked at her for a minute, seemingly sizing her up. "Okay." She gave instructions on what to feed which horse, grooming and visiting each one. It was killing her not to be able to ride, but she hadn't been back on a horse since the wreck. There'd been so much therapy and, now, she didn't want to risk hurting the baby.

"What now?"

"I need to go in." Holding her daughter, the baby inside of her, combined with the heat, made it hard for her to breathe.

"Okay. We can do that," Tess hurriedly led her sister back inside. "Did you two have breakfast?"

"Yeah, with Alex." Tess was hovering and Claire could tell it would be a long week. They'd originally agreed their family would be gone two weeks, but Nick didn't want to spend that much time away from Tess, Alex away from her and Charlotte, and a week or a week and a half was all it really called for this time.

Tess sat down at the table with her sister. "Can I hold her?" She motioned towards her niece.

"Sure." Claire carefully handed her over.

"So how are things going with you and Alex?"

"Great." Claire paused. "I'm happy, Tess. Really. I never thought I'd be happy again."

"So she's going to call Alex Dad?" Tess asked, smiling at Charlotte, letting the little girl grab her finger.

Claire nodded. "I'll tell her one day...when she's old enough to understand."

"Of course. You wouldn't want another scene." She'd heard about Harry's reaction to Liz accidently letting the fact that he wasn't Alex's biological father slip.

"I don't care about a scene. I wouldn't do that to Charlotte. She deserves to know the truth. She'll understand...Peter could never love her as much as Alex does, as much as he always has." She couldn't picture many men who would lie to the whole town, claim a baby that wasn't theirs.

"He loves all three of you."

Claire nodded. "Nick loves you too."

Tess nodded. "I know."

"But?" Claire could tell there was a but; there always was with Tess.

"I woke up this morning and I thought he'd left without saying goodbye. I started panicking."

"Tess..."

"I love him, Claire. I'm scared. I don't want to lose him. I wish I could be like you and Alex...I just can't."

"No relationship is the same, Tess, and none is a guarantee. Love is charging, just like you said. It's scary, yes, but it's worth it."

Claire was thinking mainly of Alex, but, of course, Tess went negative. "What you went through with Peter was worth it?"

"If I hadn't gone through that, I wouldn't have Charlotte. Besides, Nick isn't anything like Peter. He's not Peter, he's not Alex, he's not even Dad. He's Nick. And you're Tess." Claire paused, not liking to talk about her wreck. "When Alex held me, I started living again. Do you remember what you told me the day before the Show?"

Tess nodded. "Is he the one for you? Ba-boom. Ba-boom."

Claire nodded. "Yeah. You can't listen to Liz or Harry, Alex or me, Meg, the only ones that matter are you and Nick. Is he the one for you?"


	2. Day 2: Jodi's Decision

Jodi Fountain had never been fond of mustering, droving, or campouts of any kind. After the second day in the saddle, she was ready to discuss her plans with her 'parents'. Terry Dodge looked up as his 'adopted' daughter sat down beside him. She was quiet, a few comments about hating droves, but not her usual self. "What's wrong, Jod?" 

Jodi looked at him. "I need you to help me tell Mum something."

A thousand paternal fears crossed his mind. "Uh, yeah, sure."

She turned to face him. "I feel really bad for Claire and Alex, I know this is probably the worst time to think about this, I'm scared it makes me like Dad."

"But you're thinking about leaving again." He knew her, probably better than Kevin, and he could tell she still wasn't happy there, although he and her mother both loved the country.

Jodi nodded. "Everything's all set. I just...I know this is a bad time to even think about doing a runner on the place. And it's not that I don't care about what happened. Claire's like having a second mum, I love you guys, I like Drover's, but...I've never been happy here."

"I know that, Jod." He paused. "You know, this is really something you should be talking over with your mum."

"I'm scared how she'll take it. I know you won't tell her for me, will you?" He shook his head, not about to get in between them. "But would you at least be here?"

"Sure. I can swing that." She smiled at him.

Meg finished cleaning up from dinner and walked down to her family. Jodi looked at Terry and he sat there, knowing Meg wasn't going to take it well, but knowing it'd been coming for years. "Mum...Terry and I were talking." She flipped some of her hair back. "Well, I finally got enough money to move to the city and I talked to Tess's friend."

"The girl or the boy?" Meg asked dryly, knowing what was coming.

"Briorny. She said I can have a job at the cafe and she's looking for a roommate."

Meg took a breath. "And what would you do then?"

"I don't know. It wouldn't be here."

"Jodi, this isn't a game. It's not like when you went to Italy. You'll have to work, hard, just to pay the rent, not to mention food, utilities..."

"I know, Mum. I've been saving for months. I'll work at the cafe. A friend from school thinks there's a job that'll be perfect for me...fashion."

Meg took a breath and slowly let it out, knowing she wouldn't change her daughter's mind. She always knew this conversation would come up again. She'd been putting her off for years already. "When would you leave?"

"Day after we get back." She paused. "I feel awful leaving now, but Claire's got Stevie, you, and Tess for the livestock...Alex for the horses. I'll stay if she needs..."

Meg knew that, even if Claire did need her, she wouldn't say so. "Well, I guess there's nothing I can do to make you stay." She hugged her daughter, holding on like she wouldn't let go.

"Mum."

Meg let her go. "Yeah, right." Jodi smiled at her and walked away. "She'll be okay."

"She'll be fine," Terry told her, giving her a hug.

"I knew this was going to happen one day. She doesn't like being the youngest one, not having Becky." Although Claire and Tess weren't old, they weren't twenty anymore either. Tess had a steady boyfriend, spending what time she wasn't at Drover's at Wilgul, and Claire was almost married with two children. Becky had been closest to her age and, when she left with Jake, well, it wasn't fair to ask Jodi to stay where she'd never liked before.

"You'll be okay, love." Terry kissed her temple and she smiled at him, needing his reassurance, feeling very old, another step closer to losing her daughter.

Jodi walked over to where Nick was sitting, Alex talking to Stevie, Harry with Sandra. "You told her?" Nick asked as she sat down beside him.

"Yeah. She took it okay. I still feel bad about leaving Claire."

"You're not your dad, Jodi. You care about Claire and it shows. She'll know it's a good opportunity for you. What you always wanted."

"Thank you for helping me. Tess too."

"The cafe needs a waitress and Briorny needs a roommate. You want to move to the city. Helps everyone out." He took a sip of his water. "How is your mum taking it?"

"Treating me like a baby, but at least she didn't argue with me going."

"She loves you. It's good to have so many people who care about you."

She paused, making a big sacrifice. "I've been meaning to tell you...I'm happy for you and Tess. Congratulations."

He turned his head to look at her, a smile crossing his face. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, if we weren't going to work out..." It had gotten to the point where she could joke about it now.

"Hey, Jodi?" She looked at him. "Thanks." To be so young, she'd been a good friend after Sally left, when he was so terrified about Tess, and when they'd all dealt in their own ways with Claire's wreck.

"Yeah. Night."

"Night." He joined his brother and Stevie.


	3. Day 3: The Girls

Tess heard the whispered familiar sounds of the lullaby from their childhood and looked at her clock. Four in the morning, a good two hours before her sister had been getting up. She tied her robe around her and went upstairs to see if she could help. 

Claire held Charlotte in her arms, walking with her, singing, trying to keep it low so she didn't wake Tess. She kissed her daughter's forehead again, still hot. "Claire?" Tess asked from the doorway.

Claire turned to face her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine. Is she all right?"

"Got a bit of a fever."

Tess watched her niece rub her cheek and pull on her ear. "Is she sick?"

"Teething, I reckon. And she misses Alex."

"Yeah." Tess knew her sister missed him as well. "How much sleep have you had?"

"Three hours."

"Do you want me to walk with her? You could get some more sleep."

"Maybe later. Want to get her calmer before I pass her off." Claire kissed Charlotte's temple, rubbing her back, letting the little girl hold her finger against her gum.

"Right."

"You can stay up here if you want."

Tess nodded and Claire moved the rocking chair where she could get to it. "Claire...can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Claire smiled. "Sure. Must be bad; you never ask first."

Tess paused. "Did you know...I mean, were you..."

"Was I trying to have two babies almost in the same year?" Tess nodded. "No."

"I wondered. I mean, you know I love Charlotte, but...two babies at the same time? I don't know how mums of twins do it. I'd lose my mind." Claire's blue eyes sparkled at that, but stayed quiet. "It just seems like, with all that's happened, it's an awful lot of strain."

"On what?"

"On you." She knew Claire would hate it, but she still saw her sister as being fragile. The pregnancy was making recovery harder, as was the fact that Clairecouldn't do many of the things she enjoyed."On you and Alex. I mean, you're not even engaged yet and you already have two children."

"Yeah, I know. It's not something we planned and it's not something I can explain. It's not really an accident...more a surprise."

"You don't like surprises." Claire liked order, knowing exactly what the day would hold. Peter's marriage, their father's heart attack and death, had been surprises and both hadbroken her sister's heart.

"I don't know about that. Finding out I was in love with my best mate was a surprise. Finding my sister again was a definite surprise. I can't imagine not having Alex, not having you, just like, if I had it to do over again, I can't imagine which one I'd give up, I'd choose not to have. I'm not explaining it well."

"I think I understand." After dating Alex, finding out that she was in love with Nick was a surprise, scary, but not something she would change.

"One day, if I ever do this again, I would like to have a normal pregnancy though. I was in the hospital three months with Charlotte, five with this one."

"They're as stubborn and tough as their parents," Tess teased.

Charlotte finally fell to sleep and Claire carefully put her back down in her crib. "I'm going to get a few hours sleep."

"Do you mind if I stay here?"

Claire shook her head. "I don't mind." Tess watched her sister go back to her bedroom before covering herself up with one of Charlotte's blankets.

* * *

Claire got all of another hour's worth of sleep before she heard Tess call for her. "What is it? What happened?" Claire asked, going back to Charlotte's room.

"She's still hot."

"Okay." Claire picked her daughter up. "It's okay, Tess. She always runs a fever when she gets new teeth." Her sister reminded her of the time Alex had tried to take care of a little boy everyone had thought was his. "I need a bottle of cold water."

"I thought she used her cup." About a month before, they'd started Charlotte on the cup except for the one bottle that Alex gave her before putting her to sleep, part of their nighttime ritual that had started when Claire was in the hospital.

"The bottle has that nipple on the top that helps her gums." Claire kissed her daughter's head as she carried her to the sink, wetting a sponge.

Tess brought the bottle up as Claire gave Charlotte a sponge bath, put a clean diaper on her, and wrapped her loosely with a sheet. "It's okay now," Claire whispered, not sure if she was soothing her sister or her daughter.

"I wonder if Mum used to have days like today," Tess said.

"She did," Claire told her. "You used to scream so loud, had the worst earaches when you were teething. I used to hide outside."

Tess smiled. "So even then I was a pain, huh?"

"Oh, yeah." Claire smiled.

"I don't think I'd be a very good mother," Tess confessed as they went down for breakfast.

"You learn, Tess. You make mistakes, but you have good advice, family to help, and you learn." If it hadn't been for Meg's advice, Tess and Alex's help, she wasn't sure what she would have done.

"Remember Roger?" Claire nodded. "I got so frustrated. Of course, it didn't help that when I was taking care of him, Alex wouldn't even hold him, let alone do diapers or get up in the middle of the night." It had changed though. By the end of the time Alex had Roger, he hadn't wanted to let him go. Now, with Charlotte, he liked being involved in Charlotte's life, even before he and Claire had gotten together.

"Yeah, but Charlotte loves her Auntie Tess."

"But it's different. Like this morning. I could wake you up and give her back.If I had my ownbaby, I couldn't do that."

"Wake Nick up and give her to him," Claire teased.

"I'm serious, Claire. I'm terrified that I could end up like Liz." Nick and Alex's mother tied as her least favorite person in the world with Claire's ex-boyfriend, Peter.

"You won't." She grew tense just thinking about all the things Alex and Nick had to deal with from their parents, not to mention what Liz did to Tess."You're not that manipulative. Nick is not Harry. There is no way that your child could ever grow up in a house like that." She relaxed her voice a little. "Besides...you had Ruth as an example. Mum died when I was little...all I ever really had, long term, was Meg."

"That's a pretty good example too." Claire nodded, having to agree. "Bacon?"

Claire shook her head, making a face, getting out the chilled infant cereal for Charlotte, choosing to hold her instead of putting her in the high chair. Usually, the little girl would have a fight to feed herself, but when she was sick or teething, she wanted either Claire or Alex to do it. "I'll get some cereal in a minute."

"I'll do it." Tess poured Claire a bowl of her favorite cereal and put it where Claire could eat with one hand.

"What's all this interest in babies this morning anyway? Is it just Charlotte?"

Tess paused. "I'm pretty sure Nick's going to want kids."

Claire nodded. "Of course."

"The scare got me thinking..." She paused. "I'm in the high risk range for breast cancer. What if I do end up with a malignancy? What happens to Nick...our children?"

"Tess, if I thought that way, I'd never get back on a horse or drive down the road again. I'd be terrified to have children at all. Weren't you the one that told me I couldn't live my life hiding? If you and Nick decide you don't want to have children, I'll support that decision, I'm your sister, but it's not a one-person spur of the moment type decision. You really should be talking it over with Nick, not with me."


	4. Day 4: Alex & Nick

Alex sat under a tree, waiting out the rain.It had started only thirty minutes before, but he couldn't see a spot for miles that didn't have rain so thick that he could barely see the others scattered for shelter. He was hoping they could stay there for awhile and then go home early. He looked at the picture he was holding, protecting it from the rain. It was one of the many Tess had taken Charlotte's first day at Drover's. He was holding his tiny daughter, Claire right next to them, on the porch. He missed them so much that he thought his heart would break. He never pictured loving a woman as much as he loved Claire, but she and Charlotte, the new baby, were his life. He should be at home with them. Claire'd only been out of hospital for a month. It wasn't that he was worried about her doing too much or doing something to hurt herself or the baby; she hadn't even tried to do anything stupid this time. It was more that he missed his girls, what it felt like waking up next to Claire, what it felt like when their child fluttered inside of her stomach, his nighttime ritual with their little girl, her bottle and a story, a song, tucking her in, and lights out.. 

Nick came over with two cups of coffee, handing one to his brother. "What's with the secrecy between you and Jodi?" Alex asked, taking a sip.

"She's moving to the city. Tess's friend from the cafe offered her a job and a place to stay." He paused. "Don't tell Claire until Jodi does. Terry was there when she told Meg, but she wants to tell Claire too." Claire was like another mother to Jodi.

"She already knows. With Becky gone, Jodi lost her friend; Stevie's just as stubborn, pushes just as hard as Claire, it was just a matter of time. Claire's okay if Meg's okay."

Nick nodded. He hadn't really thought that Jodi would have a problem with it and had told the girl that. "What's gotten into Claire? No muss, no fuss, she's been really good this time. Even left Drover's to you, Tess, and Stevie."

Alex nodded. "Last time scared some sense into her." It had scared him as well. He knew he could have lost her, lost Charlotte, and it had made him try that much harder to keep an eye on her this time...without her knowing of course.

Nick nodded, remembering how bad his brother looked that day, Claire on top of him. He'd felt so helpless and he always wondered if that was what Alex had felt aftter his riding accident. "Yeah." He changed the subject. "Dad and Sandra are fighting."

"Let me guess. She still wants a baby."

Nick nodded. "Imagine that...I could have a brother younger than my niece and nephew."

"Or nieces..." Claire would have wanted him to say that, but, as much as he loved Charlotte, he had to admit that both he wanted a boy, if not this time, then eventually.

"I can't imagine a child growing up in that house, putting up with the same things we did."

"Dad's changed, Nick. For the better. You've seen him with Charlotte..." There had been a few bumps in the road, namely a dinner at Kilarney that he wouldn't forget, but, for the most part, Harry had been a loving father and grandfather, even if only the McLeods and Ryans saw.

"That's his grandchild. Another child, especially another son, who's to say it won't start all over again? Besides, at least we had Mum."

As much as he tried to forgive his mother, Alex's jaw still tightened. "Yeah." He paused. "I can't picture Sandra as a mum and I can't picture stopping Claire if Sandra did get pregnant." The mutual dislike and distrust between the women was well-known in the family.

Nick smiled. "Yeah. Might be the only good thing about it."

Alex took another sip of coffee. "What about you and Tess? Any plans for an addition to Wilgul?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't think so. I know not for the time being. I'm working on getting her to move in permanently right now. Besides, after what she went through, what she's seen Claire go through...I think I'm going to have to settle for being an uncle to your mob."

Alex nodded. "Claire's been through the mill all right." She'd been in the hospital for months with both pregnancies, both because of accidents, totally unrelated to the pregnancies, but Tess was scared anyway. He couldn't say he blamed her; he worried as well."Have you tried asking her to marry you?"

"One step at a time. Besides, I keep waiting for you to ask Claire. I know you bought the ring." He didn't want to ask at the same time Alex did, knowing how long Claire and Alex had both waited for each other.

Alex paused. "It never seems like the right time. With the wreck and the baby and Drover's..."

"Stalling."

"Yeah." He paused. "I asked her once." He'd asked her when she was pregnant with Charlotte, not long after the helicopter crash. He would have been content to marry her then...he'd known he loved her. The waiting, the wreck, only made everything so much more now, a second chance.

"And she thought you were asking her because of the baby. Now that she knows you love her, it's a different situation. She'll say yes, I promise you that."

"Yeah." They sat in silence for a little while and watched the rain.


	5. Day 5: Setting Things Right

The helicopter flew low over the land, trying to find anything that would lead them to where Claire was. They landed in a paddock and Alex ran towards the house, Nick following. Peter Johnson was standing outside, about to go look, and Alex pulled him down from the horse, holding him firmly by the collar. "What happened?" Peter started to try to explain. "What did you do?" Claire was happy, he was happy, they were together, starting a family. Peter had destroyed everything, again; he always broke Claire's heart. "I'll kill you!" 

Nick's insistance and Tess's pleas fell upon deaf ears but the sound of his daughter crying caused Alex to stop in his tracks, let Peter go, and turned to where Tess was holding Charlotte. "C'mere, BOM," he whispered, holding her close. "It'll be okay...Mum will be home soon." He took her back to the porch and Tess followed. "Has she been crying long?"

"Yeah. For days. She's teething; her fever's almost gone." She never thought that she would be able to take care of her niece as upset as they both were for as long as she had.

"Has she had breakfast?"

Tess shook her head. "She just woke up. I'll go get the cereal." She went inside, bringing out the bowl, and Alex fed Charlotte the cool mushy cereal. "Claire wasn't sleeping very well. She went to bed a few hours after I did." Alex nodded, listening. "When I woke up, Charlotte was crying. I went up to see if Claire was there...she wasn't. The corral was open; I thought she was just being stubborn again, went riding, you know how she's been wanting to ride." Alex nodded again. "I waited two hours; when she wasn't back, I called Frank and got some of the men from Kilarney to look for her until he arrived."

"Are they still looking?"

Tess nodded. "They've been out all night. They found the horse this morning...no saddle."

Nick joined them as Peter rode away. "Peter left his wife again. She was helping him pack, trying to talk him into staying. She must have found one of Claire's letters after Charlotte was born, telling him about the baby."

"She thought Peter was leaving her for Claire again. Why wouldn't she take Charlotte too?" Tess asked.

"I don't know. Peter didn't know she was pregnant though."

"If she thinks Peter's leaving her for Claire and she sees that Claire's pregnant..." Tess thought aloud.

Nick nodded. "Yeah. Do you need someone to stay with you and Charlotte?" Tess shook her head and Nick went in to get the supplies they would need to search.

Alex had been quiet since Nick had joined them. He hugged his daughter, kissing her hair. "Be good for Auntie Tess. I'll bring your mum home soon." He carefully, reluctantly, put her back in Tess's arms. "She likes that stuffed horse we bought in the city...and a cool bottle of water."

Tess nodded. "I'll make sure she gets them." He kissed Charlotte's forehead and went out to the ute.

Nick came out, carrying a box of a blanket, water, and three sandwiches in case they found Claire. He leaned down and kissed Tess's hair. "Don't worry. She's fine."

"Yeah." She reached up to hold his hand for a few seconds before letting him join Alex.

* * *

"You took my husband...you destroyed my family..." Mary's voice was low, but her meaning still came across.

"I didn't know Peter was married," Claire said, truthfully. She hadn't known Peter was married when they were involved, but she had when she'd gone to his hotel room that night.

"You knew my name."

"Peter told me when he signed the birth certificate. It was over then; it'd been over for a long time." Peter wanted to get rid of her sister, her friends; he'd hurt Alex.

"You're carrying his child! He's leaving me and my children for you and yours!"

"I don't know why he's leaving you. I haven't seen him since my daughter's naming ceremony. This child is my boyfriend's." She was too busy trying to save her life, the life of her baby, to see the irony; the child that had been Peter's had been called Alex's, the child that was Alex's had been called Peter's.

"Yeah, Peter Johnson."

"No. Alex Ryan...he's the only man I've loved in years." It was true. Even when she'd gotten pregnant with Charlotte, she hadn't been in love with Peter. She wasn't sure she ever had been. "He's the father of this baby and the only father Charlotte's ever known. I love him and I love my kids; I've almost left them too many times before." Claire McLeod rarely pleaded, but she was now. She knew Mary wasn't sane at the moment and feared for her safety.

"Charlotte?" Mary stopped pacing and looked at her.

Claire nodded. "My little girl. She's nine months old; I named her after my mum and my sister."

Mary's mind flashed on images of her own girls at nine months, how much they'd needed her, and, as much as she loved Peter, as angry as she was at Claire, she knew she couldn't take the little girl's mother away from her. "Stay away from my husband."

"I plan to." Claire sensed the mood in the room had changed and went out the door before Mary changed her mind.

* * *

Alex got more sullen and impatient as the hours passed on, frustrated, terrified for his girlfriend. "Maybe we should have used the chopper."

"We'll find her, Alex," Nick tried to reassure his brother, although he was worried too. Claire was like a sister, a mate...she couldn't have lived through one of the things she'd been through, much less both. What were the odds of them being lucky a third time?

They were silent on the way back home until Alex spotted Claire. "Nick." He didn't wait for his brother to stop; as soon as he slowed, he ran to his girlfriend.

"You're home." She hadn't ate, drank, or slept in a day; her voice was weak and, as she spoke, she passed out into Alex's arms.

"Hold on tight, Claire. I'm here and we'll get back home, I promise." He sat in the back, holding her, whispering to her.

Tess ran out as Nick came speeding up the drive. "Claire?"

"She fainted," Nick said as Alex carried her up to their room. "She's okay. I'm going to go for the doctor."

She nodded. "Nick?" He turned to her. "She's okay?"

He nodded, kissing her cheek. "She's okay."

She held him. "Be careful." He nodded and she went inside to try to call the search off.

Alex lay beside Claire, holding her, until Nick got there with the doctor. Claire was awake but groggy when the doctor was examining her and the baby, but fell asleep soon after the examination. Tess sat with her for two hours while Alex tended to Charlotte.

Alex held his daughter on his lap, stroking her hair back. Meg had left some tiny strips of shredded chicken and some vegetables steamed until they were soft. He fed her, gave her a bath, and sat in the rocking chair with her, giving her the bottle. He whispered to her, read her favorite story, sang their song, and tucked her in, as he had every night that Claire was in the hospital, most of the nights since he'd been with Claire. He bent down to kiss her forehead. "Night, baby." He quietly left, turning out the light.

Tess looked up as he came in to the bedroom, but didn't say anything until she was to the door. "Nick and I'll be downstairs."

He nodded. "Thanks, Tess...for everything." He knew firsthand that it wasn't easy to take care of a crying child, especially when worried.

"They're my sister, my niece." She hugged him. Even though they'd dated at one time, that had quickly passed and he felt more like the big brother she'd never had. She left the room, checking on Charlotte, then going downstairs.

"Alex..." Claire whispered, waking up again.

"Hey." He stroked her hair. "Welcome back."

"Charlotte."

"She's okay. Sleeping."

"The baby?"

"The baby's perfect, Claire. He's just fine. Everyone's more worried about his mum right now, actually." She nodded. "Are you hungry? Want something to drink?"

* * *

Nick and Tess were talking on the porch when Peter arrived. Tess didn't even know she'd gotten out of the chair until she heard the crack of her hand hitting his cheek. "Tess," Nick said quietly, holding her.

"I deserved that," Peter admitted.

"At least you finallyadmit what a bastard you've been."

"I didn't know Mary would take Claire. I knew she would never hurt her."

"She kidnapped my sister! What if Claire had been hurt? What if she'd never come home? What would you have done, take Charlotte away? You've been a bastard from day one and I'm thankful that Claire sees that and I'm thankful that Charlotte will never have to."

"I want to talk to Claire."

"No."

"Tess, I want to talk to Claire!" He shouted so loud that he woke up Charlotte and Nick stepped protectively in front of his girlfriend. "I'm sorry. I just...it's my fault, what happened. I don't love Mary, but the girls need her...like Charlotte needs Claire, like you needed your mum, Tess. Please."

Nick sighed, looking at Tess, who nodded, still angry. "I'll give her the choice. If she says no, you've got five minutes to get off this property and never come back," Tess said, going inside.

Alex had gone to take care of Charlotte when Tess got to her sister. "Claire...Peter wants to talk to you."

"I heard." She paused. "Send him up."

"You don't have to do this."

Claire nodded. "Yeah, I do. There's something I want." Tess went downstairs, coming back up with Peter. Alex noticed and he and Nick listened.

"Claire, I'm so sorry," Peter began.

"Yeah, you'd want to be." She looked at the bruise on Peter's cheek. "I know Mary's not crazy...women do stupid things because they think they love you."

"You were happy, Claire."

"For five minutes. But that's not what I wanted to say. I'm not about to take Mary away from her girls, just like she wouldn't take me from Charlotte. The real problem is you. I don't care what you do...as far as I'm concerned, a piece of paper's the only real connection between us anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"I want you to give up your rights to Charlotte." She picked up a piece of paper. "Right now, in writing, I want you to give her up. Unlike you, I'll make sure it gets to the right people."

"And what would you do then? Tell her that he's her father?"

"He is. You're just the guy that got me pregnant. Sorta like AI, don't you think?"

He gave her a look and she gave him one back. He signed the papers. "Here."

"I've wanted to tell you this for a long time. Get the hell off my property." He went downstairs and Tess looked at her. "Alex hit him?"

Tess shook her head. "He wanted to kill him, but Charlotte started crying. I hit him."

Claire grinned. "You're learning."

Tess smiled. "Hungry?"

"Starving."

"I'll bring you and Alex some food up."

"Thanks, Tess." She nodded, going downstairs, Nick following, Alex coming into the room.

"You're not going to press charges?"

Claire shook her head. "I got what I wanted." She looked at him. "What would you think about making it legal?"

"That's what I was going to ask you."

"You heard."

"Of course I'll adopt Charlotte. That was never a question, if Peter ever gave up his rights. That's not what I was talking about though." He went to his drawer and pulled out the small box.

"Alex?"

"I came prepared for you to say yes this time." She smiled. "I've been trying to ask you this since you came home from the hospital a year and a half ago. I love you, Claire. I always have. It's just...it's been hard for me to say."

"You were serious then, a year and a half ago?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I just...I didn't figure you felt the same way. I didn't want to lose you either."

"I thought you were asking because of your parents and the business...I never thought..." She remembered the panicked feeling when he'd crashed, the first time it really ever sank in how much she loved him. "You meant it."

He nodded. "I mean it now too...and I'll mean it however many times I have to ask. I love you. You're the only woman in the world for me...you always will be. I love the way you smile, the twinkle in your eyes when you're happy, and I want to keep both there as much as I can..."

"Alex, can I get a word in edgewise?"

He grinned, remembering her asking him that in the city when he'd finally gotten the nerve up to admit how much he loved her. "Yeah. Make it quick."

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Yes!" They laughed and he kissed her. "And yes, we'll live at Drover's."

"Of course." She grinned. "Where would we sleep?"

"Sleep? What's that?" He asked with his mischevious grin, a hand on her stomach. She laughed, kissing him again.

Tess came up with the meals. "What's all this?"

Alex smiled and Claire's eyes twinkled. "You're getting a brother-in-law."

"I've already got a brother-in-law." She teased, grinning. "Congratulations, Claire." The girls hugged and then Tess hugged Alex. "Congratulations and good luck."

"I know, I know, I'll need it." He teased Claire.


End file.
